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OpenMarket: Cord Blomquist

CEI has been vocal in its opposition to the stimulus plan. Turns out, we're not alone. The Cato Institute has collected the signatures of 200 economists who believe that "Lower tax rates and a reduction in the burden of government are the best ways of using fiscal policy to boost growth."

As Timothy Geithner receives 34 No votes on his confirmation, John Berlau reflects on how Geithner can right his wrongs. He can start by calling for an end to government policies that prop up failing institutions with taxpayer dollars.

The Washington Post reports that President Bush will be starting something called the "Freedom Institute" as part of his presidential library in Dallas. This institute would focus on a what the Post describes as a "broad portfolio of topics, including the expansion of democracy abroad and education reforms of the kind Bush implemented during his presidency, according to organizers."

The Post story goes on to talk about the institute's goal of focusing on debate:

"The president's vision is for it to become an incubator of ideas, discussion and debate about the issues that were front and center during his presidency, including the controversy," said Dan Bartlett, a former counselor to Bush who is acting as a spokesman for the project. "The idea here is to have...

As millions gather on the national mall today to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama, many are looking to the new president as a leader capable of saving us from economic disaster. Yet, it seems that the economy may not be in as bad a shape as some would have us believe.

USATODAY.com reports that the stimulus plan has swelled to $850 billion but lacks the bold ideas that are needed for the economy to truly recover. As USA Today reports:

Obama had proposed an economic stimulus package that aides, including adviser David Axelrod, estimated at $775 billion, nearly 40% of which would be taken up by tax cuts, including a $3,000 job-creation tax credit.

The tax cuts are a good start, but that leaves 60% of the proposal composed of spending programs. The spending programs are a mixed bag, but many of the suggested programs set a high price on job creation. A program to modernize Social Security sets the price of job creation at $1 million per job. Other programs attack the employment issue by hundreds of thousands of dollars to create just one...